West African Mother & Child

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

This is the last of several illustrations from A Ride on Mother’s Back that I’ve been posting over recent weeks. Here we see a mother and child from Guinea or Mali, the part of Africa that I’ve visited several times. Thus I was able to compose this scene from my own memories, showing a typical day in a rural village of West Africa. Yes, there are goats everywhere. Yes, there are people rhythmically pounding grain with large mortars and pestles, or clapping and singing in the shade of a mango tree. Yes, people carry baskets and bowls on their heads, and babies in colored cloths wrapped around their bodies – babies who sleep through all kinds of commotion and noise. Children are cherished in this society, and they are carried everywhere as babies and toddlers by older family members – most often the mother or sister.

West Africa is an incredibly colorful and lively place, full of music and laughter. Though the people are poor by our standards, their communities are spiritually and artistically rich. I hope to get back there someday! I’d love to get my feet dirty with that beautiful red volcanic dust again.